Quade Cooper is an immensely talented fly-half who turns out for the Reds and Australia but in recent times, he has hit out at the Australian Rugby Union which has raised doubts over his future in rugby union.

He was born in New Zealand and arrived in Australia as a 15-year-old, but quickly confirmed his status as one of his adopted country's best midfield talents. Cooper's ascension through Australian rugby has been as impressive as it has been rapid. After making his Super Rugby debut for the Reds as a teenager, the midfielder went on to earn his first Australia cap against Italy aged 20 in 2008 - memorably scoring a try to spare the Wallabies' blushes against the Azzurri.

The following year saw Cooper help steer the Reds through every match of the Super Rugby campaign, and he also added more Wallabies appearances to his tally on. However his year was soured on his return to Australia when he was charged by police over an alleged burglary of a local residence. He subsequently cleared to play in the 2010 Super Rugby by the Australian Rugby Union. He has a history of indiscipline having been reprimanded for "engaging in a food fight" at the Wallabies team hotel in Canberra in June 2009 and fined A$10,000 for bringing the game into disrepute in August the same year following a dispute with a Brisbane taxi driver.

Cooper bounced back from the controversy with an outstanding series of performances on his way to being named Australia's Super Rugby Player of the Year. His form was rewarded with the Australia No.10 shirt for the season-opener against Fiji and the two-Test series with England - and he went on to score two tries in his side's Cook Cup victory in Perth. He was back in court later in the year to be disqualified from driving after pleading guilty to a charge of driving while on a suspended license. He also faced a hearing relating to the previous year's alleged burglary but the charges were eventually dropped after a mediation process with the complainants and police.

All the focus was switching the 2011 World Cup and he maintained a strong run of form during the re-vamped Super Rugby competition the same year and shunned further interest from rugby league and overseas in signing a one-year contract extension with the ARU and Reds that will tied him down until the end of 2012. Cooper's star continued to shine as he helped guide the Reds to Super Rugby glory and the Wallabies to the Tri-Nations title.

But at the World Cup, Cooper failed to find the level of form previously showcased for the Reds and during the Tri-Nations. The New Zealand public were constantly on his back and he underperformed in the World Cup semi-final that was contested between his Wallabies and the Kiwis.

However, in the bronze final against Wales, Cooper showed early signs of being back to his mercurial best playing at a quick tempo and showcasing his range of skills. But midway through the first-half, he was struck down by a knee injury which brought an abrupt end to his game. He subsequently underwent surgery to repair his anterior cruciate ligament and spent a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

He made a swift recovery from the injury and returned to feature in the last few Super Rugby games, although he picked up a suspension for the Reds' play-off bid. But his brief showing was enough to persuade Robbie Deans to give him the benefit of the doubt when it came to Rugby Championship selection and although he missed their three-Test tour against Wales in June, he played three Tests for the Wallabies in the revamped Tri-Nations.

But after their fourth game of the six-match competition, Cooper was forced to go under the knife again on a problem with the same knee that brought his World Cup to an end the year before. Despite being sidelined, Cooper found himself back in the headlines after he slammed the ARU for their handling of the Wallabies sparking suggestions that he would move to rugby league to play alongside Sonny Bill Williams.